An otherwise quiet and slow-paced town of Jejuri, only a one-and-a-half-hour drive southeast of Pune, turns into a confluence of colours as devotees from Maharashtra and Karnataka come here seeking the blessings of Lord Khandoba at the Khandoba Temple during the Bhandara Festival. Drenched in love and devotion for their lord, thousands of devotees come here to cleanse their souls and purify their hearts amidst sounds of devotional chanting and splashes of turmeric that turn the entire town a golden yellow. And this is what makes the Bhandara Festival such a unique celebration of faith and belief.

A festival that celebrates togetherness
As legend has it, Khandoba was believed to possess the qualities of Lord Shiva, and his two wives – Mhalsa and Banai were seen as the incarnations of Goddess Parvati and Ganga. Revered mainly as the ancestral god in Maharashtra, Khandoba is also worshipped by the Dhangar tribe, herdsmen, shepherds, farmers and the nomads from Maharashtra and Karnataka. While some offer turmeric, bel fruit leaves and vegetables, others offer puran poli (sweet flatbread) or a bharit rogda made of onion and brinjal. The beliefs of his devotees might be different, they might even come from different geographical regions and schools of thought, but all these differences become united during the festival – via a beautiful hue of haldi or turmeric.

As the palki or the palanquin of Khandoba and his two wives moves towards the Karha river for a holy dip, the whole atmosphere becomes hypnotic. The holy chants reverberating in the surroundings, the music and the dance and thousands of devotees throwing turmeric in the air makes people give in to the magic of this moment.

Sonyachi Jejuri: Why turmeric is such an integral part of this celebration
The Bhandara festival has different significance for devotees of different sects. But one thing that strings them all together is the use of turmeric during the celebrations. For some believe that as Khandoba and his two wives are taken for a holy bath, it is a celebration of their marital bond and thus turmeric is applied on the bride and the groom like in any other Indian wedding. Many believe that turmeric symbolises gold, a sign of prosperity, which is what they seek from their lord. Various traditional depictions of Khandoba show him as one of the descendants of the Sun God with old paintings showing him sitting on a white horse with a bowl of turmeric in his hand. His idols are typically depicted as a four-armed deity with a bhandara-patra (bowl of turmeric) in one of his hands.The depictions differ, every eye sees him in a different avatar, but all hearts believe in his singular power to reunite, rejuvenate and rekindle life.
And that’s why even a gathering of thousands makes for a harmonious, peaceful and devout celebration. His devotees might come as different, but they leave as one, their bodies coloured in yellow and their souls soaked in the pious power of Lord Khandoba.